What Is Active Learning?
Active learning refers to instructional approaches that engage students in doing, observing, and reflecting, rather than simply receiving information. It positions students as contributors to the learning process, encouraging them to make connections, apply ideas, and reflect on their understanding.
At U of T, active learning involves:
- Collecting and synthesizing information, practicing critical thinking, and problem solving
- Connecting classroom learning to real-world or professional contexts
- Reflecting on one’s own learning needs and progress
- Sharing agency with peers and instructors in the learning process
This definition is grounded in the literature on active learning and was honed for the U of T context through interviews with faculty, administrators, and staff members. Some of the following information is adapted from the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP) guide on Active Learning and Adapting Teaching Techniques.
Active learning can take place individually or collaboratively, and does not necessarily require group work, technology, or specialized learning spaces. Lectures and content delivery can also be complemented by opportunities for students to apply, question, discuss, and reflect on what they are learning. When designed with accessibility and learner variability in mind, active learning strategies can support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by providing multiple opportunities for meaningful engagement and participation.
Interested in designing or facilitating active learning at U of T? Explore CTSI’s Active Learning Design Foundations (ALDF), a self-paced learning program that helps you plan, implement, and reflect on active learning across a range of teaching contexts.
Choosing an Active Learning Strategy
Selecting an active learning strategy begins with considering what students should learn and how an activity can support that learning. Different strategies invite students to engage with course material in different ways, from recalling prior knowledge and discussing ideas to applying concepts, solving problems, and reflecting on their understanding.
When selecting an activity, consider the learning outcomes alongside the situational factors that shape your course, including:
- Learning purpose: What should students know, understand, or be able to do? How will the activity help them work toward the intended learning outcomes?
- Students and their learning needs: What prior knowledge, experiences, and perspectives might students bring? What supports or opportunities for choice may help them participate?
- Time and preparation: How much time is available for introducing, completing, and debriefing the activity? What preparation will students and the teaching team need?
- Class size and learning environment: How might the number of students, classroom layout, course modality, or available technology influence how the activity is facilitated?
- Materials and resources: What readings, prompts, examples, tools, or other materials will students need? Are these accessible and available in appropriate formats?
- Assessment and feedback: How will students recognize what they have learned? What opportunities will they have to receive and use feedback, ask questions, or reflect on their understanding?
Active learning does not require grading. Activities can provide opportunities for students to practice skills, explore ideas, receive feedback, and reflect on their understanding without contributing to their course grade. Whether an activity is graded should depend on its purpose and alignment with the learning outcomes.
Active learning does not always require elaborate activities or significant changes to course design. Brief strategies, such as a Quick Write, Think-Pair-Share, or Polling and Classroom Response Activity, can be incorporated into an existing class session. More complex approaches, such as Jigsaw, Case Method, or Problem-Based Learning, may require additional planning and facilitation.
Consider starting with a strategy that aligns with your learning outcomes and teaching context, then adapting it based on students’ experiences, feedback, and evidence of learning. Active learning is an iterative process, and activities can be refined over time.
Active Learning Strategies and Activities
Explore the following 50 active learning activities, organized according to five learning purposes. Each activity includes an overview, instructions for implementation, and considerations for adapting the strategy across different teaching contexts, including large classes and online learning.
Many activities can support more than one learning purpose. The categories are intended to help you find strategies that align with your goals, rather than prescribe how an activity must be used.
Sharing an activity: Open an activity and right-click the “Link to [Activity Name]” hyperlink to copy its link address. On a touchscreen, press and hold the link to access sharing options.
Activate Prior Knowledge and Generate Ideas
These activities help students recall what they already know, generate ideas, and identify questions that can guide subsequent learning.
Brainstorming
Overview and Purpose
Brainstorming invites students to generate ideas, questions, or possible solutions related to a topic or problem. It can help activate prior knowledge, surface different perspectives, and create a starting point for further discussion, analysis, or problem-solving.
Brainstorming can be completed individually, in pairs, or collaboratively. It is particularly useful when introducing a topic, exploring an open-ended question, or preparing students for a more complex learning activity.
How to Use It
- Present a focused question, topic, or problem connected to the learning outcomes.
- Give students time to generate ideas individually or in groups. Encourage them to record ideas freely without immediately evaluating or dismissing them.
- Collect or display responses using a shared document, whiteboard, or other appropriate method.
- Invite students to review, group, compare, or build on the ideas generated, moving from idea generation to analysis.
- Debrief by identifying emerging themes, questions, or connections to the course material.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Invite students to brainstorm in pairs or small groups, then collect responses through polling, a shared document, or a classroom response tool. Summarize recurring themes rather than reviewing every contribution.
- Online learning: Use collaborative documents, discussion boards, or digital whiteboards to support synchronous or asynchronous brainstorming.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide the prompt in writing, allow individual thinking time before group discussion, and offer different ways to contribute. Avoid relying exclusively on rapid verbal responses or requiring students to share ideas publicly.
Give One–Get One
🔗 Link to Give One–Get One
Overview and Purpose
Give One–Get One is a collaborative activity that helps students activate prior knowledge, exchange ideas, and expand their understanding of a topic. Students first identify what they already know, then share ideas with peers and record new information gained through those exchanges.
The activity can also help instructors identify students’ existing understandings and questions before introducing new course material.
How to Use It
- Ask students to divide a page or document into two columns labelled Give One and Get One.
- Present a topic or question and invite students to brainstorm what they already know, recording their ideas in the Give One column.
- Ask students to pair with a peer. Each student shares an idea from their list and listens to their partner’s contribution.
- Students record new ideas or information in the Get One column.
- Invite students to exchange ideas with additional peers, either through rotating pairs or structured small-group discussion.
- Debrief by asking students to identify new insights, recurring ideas, or questions that emerged.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Have students exchange ideas with nearby peers rather than moving throughout the room. Use a shared document or selected responses to summarize the collective knowledge of the class.
- Online learning: Use breakout rooms, collaborative documents, or discussion boards to support exchanges between students.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide a digital or printable two-column template. Allow students to exchange ideas in writing as an alternative to verbal discussion, and avoid requiring movement around the classroom.
Additional Resources
- Adapted from the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program’s Active Learning and Adapting Teaching Techniques guide.
Quick Write / Minute Paper
🔗 Link to Quick Write / Minute Paper
Overview and Purpose
A Quick Write invites students to respond briefly in writing to a focused question or prompt. It can help students recall prior knowledge, process new information, identify questions, or reflect on their learning.
A Minute Paper is a short variation, often used to gather formative feedback about what students have learned and what remains unclear. Both approaches require minimal preparation and can be used at the beginning, during, or end of a class.
How to Use It
- Develop a focused prompt. Select a question connected to the learning outcomes. For example:
- To activate prior knowledge: “What do you already know about this topic?”
- To process information: “What is one important concept from today’s class, and how does it connect to something you already know?”
- To assess understanding: “What is the most important thing you learned today, and what question remains?”
- Provide time to write. Give students a short period to respond independently, allowing sufficient time to formulate their ideas.
- Determine how responses will be used. Depending on the purpose, invite students to share their responses with a partner, submit them anonymously, or retain them for personal reflection.
- Review and respond. Discuss selected responses, clarify concepts, identify common questions, or use the information to inform subsequent teaching.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Collect responses through a polling or survey tool, or invite students to write individually before discussing with a nearby peer. Summarize common themes rather than attempting to review every response during class.
- Online learning: Use a Quercus discussion, short survey, or other supported tool to collect responses synchronously or asynchronously.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide prompts in writing, allow sufficient processing time, and consider alternative response formats where appropriate. Avoid requiring students to share personal reflections publicly.
Additional Resources
- Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T. D. (2024). Classroom Assessment Techniques (3rd ed.), pp. 158–162. Minute Paper (CAT 9).
- Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning Assessment Techniques, pp. 105–110. Quick Write (LAT 6).
- K. Patricia Cross Academy: Quick Write.
Background Knowledge Probe
🔗 Link to Background Knowledge Probe
Overview and Purpose
A Background Knowledge Probe is a short, typically ungraded activity that helps instructors identify what students already know, understand, or believe about a topic before introducing new material. It can reveal prior experiences, areas of familiarity, and possible misconceptions that may influence subsequent learning.
This activity is particularly useful at the beginning of a course, unit, or lesson, especially when students may enter with different levels of prior knowledge.
How to Use It
- Identify the prerequisite knowledge or concepts students are likely to need for an upcoming topic or activity.
- Develop a small number of focused questions. These might include multiple-choice questions, short written responses, or prompts asking students to explain their existing understanding.
- Explain that the activity is intended to inform teaching and learning rather than evaluate students’ preparation. Invite students to respond individually before introducing the new material.
- Review the responses to identify common understandings, knowledge gaps, or areas requiring clarification.
- Use the findings to connect new material to students’ existing knowledge and adjust explanations or learning activities where helpful. Share relevant findings with students to help them recognize how their responses informed subsequent teaching.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Use polling or a short online survey to collect responses efficiently. Display aggregated results and discuss common patterns without identifying individual students.
- Online learning: Use a Quercus quiz, survey, or discussion activity to gather responses before a synchronous session or learning module.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide questions in accessible formats, use clear language, and allow sufficient response time. Explain that the purpose is to inform teaching and learning rather than evaluate students’ prior preparation.
Additional Resources
- Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T. D. (2024). Classroom Assessment Techniques (3rd ed.), pp. 124–129. Background Knowledge Probe (CAT 2).
- Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning Assessment Techniques, pp. 85–90. Background Knowledge Probe (LAT 2).
- Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2020). Student Engagement Techniques (2nd ed.), pp. 148–151. Background Knowledge Probe (SET 1).
- K. Patricia Cross Academy: Background Knowledge Probe.
Update Your Classmate
🔗 Link to Update Your Classmate
Overview and Purpose
Update Your Classmate invites students to recall and explain important concepts or activities from a previous class, as though they were helping a classmate who had missed the session. It encourages retrieval, summarizing, and identifying the most significant ideas from earlier learning.
The activity can help students consolidate their understanding while allowing instructors to identify concepts that may need further explanation.
How to Use It
- Ask students to imagine that a classmate missed the previous session and needs a concise explanation of the most important material covered.
- Invite students to identify the key concepts, examples, or questions that would help their classmate understand what they missed.
- Have students prepare a brief written, verbal, or visual summary that would help their classmate understand the material.
- Invite students to compare summaries with a partner or small group, identifying important information they may have overlooked.
- Debrief by highlighting key concepts, clarifying misunderstandings, and discussing important information that may have been omitted before connecting previous learning to the current lesson.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Ask students to prepare individual summaries and compare them with nearby peers. Collect selected responses through a classroom response tool or shared document.
- Online learning: Use a Quercus discussion board or collaborative document where students can post and compare summaries.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide clear expectations about the length and focus of the summary. Allow students to communicate their understanding through writing, speech, or an accessible visual format, as appropriate.
Additional Resources
Affinity Grouping
🔗 Link to Affinity Grouping
Overview and Purpose
Affinity Grouping helps students organize a collection of ideas, observations, or responses into meaningful categories based on similarities or relationships. It is particularly useful after brainstorming, when students have generated many ideas and need to identify patterns or develop a more structured understanding.
The activity supports categorization, collaborative reasoning, synthesis, and discussion about how concepts relate to one another.
How to Use It
- Present a topic, question, or problem and invite students to generate ideas or observations. Alternatively, provide a prepared collection of statements or examples.
- Ask students to record each idea separately, using sticky notes, cards, or a digital collaborative space.
- Invite students to work individually or collaboratively to group related ideas based on similarities or connections.
- Ask students to develop descriptive labels for each group and explain their reasoning.
- Encourage students to discuss, compare, and revise their groupings, recognizing that different arrangements may be reasonable depending on how relationships are interpreted.
- Debrief by comparing categories, identifying emerging themes, and connecting the results to the learning outcomes.
Adaptations and Accessibility Considerations
- Large classes: Have small groups organize a limited set of ideas, then compare selected categories through a shared document or class discussion.
- Online learning: Use collaborative documents, accessible digital whiteboards, or shared tables to organize and label ideas.
- Accessibility and participation: Provide accessible alternatives to physically moving cards or manipulating visual objects. Allow students to contribute to categorization and explanation through text-based or verbal methods, and ensure that the relationships among ideas are communicated clearly.
Additional Resources
Engage with and Process Course Content
These activities help students engage with course materials, identify important ideas, make connections, and develop their understanding.
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Discuss, Collaborate, and Consider Perspectives
These activities create opportunities for students to exchange ideas, examine different perspectives, and develop understanding through discussion and collaboration.
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Apply Knowledge and Solve Problems
These activities invite students to apply course concepts, investigate questions, analyze situations, and develop evidence-informed solutions.
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Assess Understanding and Reflect on Learning
These activities help students examine their understanding, receive and use feedback, and reflect on their learning and progress.
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Facilitating Active Learning
Effective facilitation helps students understand the purpose of an active learning activity, participate meaningfully, and connect their experiences to the intended learning outcomes. While some activities require minimal preparation, others involve more complex instructions, group arrangements, materials, or technologies.
Anticipating potential challenges and establishing clear expectations can help create a supportive learning environment. The following considerations can guide instructors before, during, and after an active learning activity.
Before the Activity: Prepare Students and the Learning Environment
- Communicate the purpose. Explain why students are being invited to participate and how the activity connects to the learning outcomes. Students may be more willing to engage when they understand the value of the activity.
- Provide clear instructions and expectations. Explain what students will do, how they will participate, how much time is available, and what they are expected to produce or discuss. Make instructions available in writing and clarify expectations for collaboration, respectful communication, and successful participation.
- Plan for accessible participation. Anticipate potential barriers related to the physical environment, learning materials, technologies, communication, or group arrangements. Offer different ways to engage and contribute where appropriate, without requiring students to disclose individual access needs.
- Prepare materials, spaces, and technologies. Ensure that students can access the materials and tools they need. Consider seating arrangements, movement between groups, visibility of instructions, and alternatives if technology is unavailable.
- Coordinate with the teaching team. When working with teaching assistants or co-instructors, clarify facilitation roles, timing, group arrangements, and approaches to responding to student questions. Consider modelling the activity together before introducing it to students.
During the Activity: Support Participation and Learning
- Introduce and model the process. Walk students through the activity and demonstrate a step when helpful, particularly for unfamiliar or complex strategies.
- Provide time to think and participate. Allow students sufficient time to process instructions, consider questions, and formulate responses. Individual reflection before group discussion can support more meaningful participation.
- Facilitate equitable participation. Establish expectations for sharing ideas, listening to others, and engaging respectfully. Recognize that meaningful participation can take different forms, including individual reflection, written contributions, and collaborative discussion. Use structured roles, discussion prompts, or alternative participation methods to support students in contributing in ways appropriate to the learning outcomes.
- Monitor progress and respond flexibly. Circulate among groups or observe responses to identify questions, misconceptions, or challenges. Clarify instructions, provide prompts, or adjust the activity when students need additional support.
- Manage time and transitions. Communicate the time available for each stage and provide reminders before transitions. Allow sufficient time for students to complete the activity and avoid rushing the final discussion or reflection.
- Support constructive group dynamics. Encourage students to consider different perspectives, share responsibilities, and address disagreements respectfully. Intervene when necessary to clarify expectations or support productive collaboration.
After the Activity: Debrief and Build on Learning
- Connect the activity to the learning outcomes. Invite students to identify what they learned, how their understanding developed, and how the activity relates to broader course concepts.
- Clarify and synthesize key ideas. Address recurring questions or misconceptions, compare different approaches, and highlight important insights. Students should not be expected to make all the connections independently.
- Provide opportunities for reflection. Ask students to consider what they found useful, challenging, or surprising and identify questions for further exploration.
- Use evidence of learning to inform next steps. Review students’ responses, discussions, or completed work to identify where additional explanation, practice, or feedback may be helpful.
- Close the feedback loop. When students provide questions or feedback, acknowledge their contributions and explain how these will inform subsequent teaching or learning activities.
Active learning does not always unfold exactly as planned. Students may need additional time, instructions may require clarification, or an activity may reveal unexpected questions. These experiences can provide useful information for adapting future activities and refining teaching approaches.
Adapting Active Learning Across Teaching Contexts
Active learning can be incorporated into a wide range of teaching contexts, including large lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratories, online courses, and specialized learning environments. While the methods, materials, and environments may differ, the underlying goal remains the same: creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage with course content, apply knowledge, collaborate, and reflect on their learning.
The following considerations can help instructors adapt active learning to their teaching contexts.
Active Learning in Large Classes
Large classes can present challenges related to participation, communication, classroom layout, time management, and providing feedback. However, active learning does not require every student to speak during a whole-class discussion or move into a different group.
Many activities can be adapted for large classes by creating opportunities for individual reflection, interaction with nearby peers, or structured responses that allow instructors to gauge student understanding.
Consider the following approaches:
- Use manageable group arrangements. Invite students to work with nearby peers or in small groups rather than reorganizing the entire classroom. Provide clear instructions for forming groups, assigning responsibilities, and transitioning between activities.
- Make instructions visible and predictable. Display prompts, activity steps, and time expectations so students can refer to them throughout the activity. Consider providing instructions through Quercus before class, particularly for more complex activities.
- Use classroom response tools strategically. Polling, short written responses, and shared documents can help gather ideas or identify questions from a large number of students. Use the responses to prompt discussion and provide feedback rather than simply displaying results.
- Plan for timing and transitions. Allow time for students to understand instructions, engage in the activity, and return to whole-class learning. Communicate transitions clearly and build in flexibility when activities require additional discussion.
- Coordinate with the teaching team where available. Teaching assistants or co-instructors can help facilitate small-group discussions, observe student progress, respond to questions, and identify recurring areas of uncertainty. Clarify their roles and provide appropriate preparation before class.
- Synthesize and follow up. Rather than asking every group to report, invite selected contributions or collect responses digitally. Summarize recurring themes, address questions, and provide follow-up through Quercus where appropriate.
Many activities in the catalogue, including Think-Pair-Share, Quick Write / Minute Paper, Peer Instruction, and Structured Problem Solving, can be adapted for large classes. Consult the individual activity descriptions for specific suggestions.
Active Learning in Online and Hybrid Courses
Active learning can occur synchronously or asynchronously, with students engaging individually or collaboratively through digital learning environments. The key is to design purposeful interactions rather than assuming that the use of technology automatically creates active learning.
Consider the following approaches:
- Align activities with the course modality. Determine whether an activity requires real-time interaction or can be completed asynchronously. For example, a discussion may occur in breakout rooms during a synchronous session or through a structured Quercus discussion over several days.
- Provide clear instructions and expectations. Explain what students will do, how they will participate, when activities should be completed, and how their contributions connect to the learning outcomes.
- Support collaboration and communication. Use accessible collaborative documents, discussion boards, or other University-supported tools to help students exchange ideas, develop shared work, and provide feedback.
- Consider access to technology and learning materials. Select tools and formats that are accessible and appropriate for students’ devices, internet connectivity, and learning needs. Provide alternatives where necessary.
- Create opportunities for feedback and reflection. Use short quizzes, discussion prompts, peer feedback, or reflective activities to help students monitor their understanding, receive and use feedback, and identify questions for further learning.
- Connect activities across learning environments. In hybrid courses, consider how activities completed online can prepare students for in-person learning and how classroom experiences can be extended through online discussion, practice, or reflection.
For additional guidance, explore CTSI’s resources on online teaching and learning, as well as the Active Learning Design Foundations (ALDF) self-paced program.
Active Learning Classrooms and Physical Learning Environments
Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) are designed to support a range of active learning approaches through features such as flexible seating, group workspaces, shared displays, and classroom technologies. These environments can create opportunities for students to work together, share ideas, and engage with learning materials in different ways.
However, specialized classrooms are not a prerequisite for active learning. Many strategies can be implemented in conventional lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories, and other teaching spaces.
When planning activities for a physical learning environment, consider:
- Classroom layout and movement. Examine how seating, tables, circulation routes, and available space may support or constrain group arrangements and interaction. Provide alternatives when movement is not necessary to meet the learning outcomes.
- Visibility and communication. Ensure students can access instructions, presentations, shared work, and discussions from different locations in the room.
- Group work and transitions. Plan how students will form groups, access materials, move between activities, and return to whole-class discussion.
- Classroom technologies. Familiarize yourself with available displays, microphones, collaboration tools, and other technologies. Prepare alternatives in case equipment is unavailable or does not function as expected.
- Accessibility and participation. Consider the physical and sensory characteristics of the space, including seating, movement, acoustics, sightlines, and access to instructional materials. Design activities that allow students to participate meaningfully without unnecessary barriers.
Instructors teaching in an Active Learning Classroom for the first time may benefit from visiting the space in advance, testing the technology, and discussing facilitation plans with their teaching team or local teaching and learning support unit.
Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning
Experiential and community-engaged learning are broader pedagogical approaches that can incorporate a range of active learning activities. They provide opportunities for students to connect disciplinary knowledge with experiences, practices, and challenges beyond conventional classroom instruction.
Experiential learning may involve laboratories, simulations, fieldwork, placements, design projects, or other experiences in which students apply knowledge and reflect on what they have learned. Community-engaged learning is a form of experiential learning involving purposeful partnerships with community organizations, responding to community-identified priorities, emphasizing reciprocal benefits, and incorporating structured reflection.
When incorporating these approaches, instructors should consider how experiences connect to learning outcomes, how students and community partners will be prepared and supported, and how opportunities for reflection and feedback will help students make meaning from their experiences.
Activities such as Case Method, Problem-Based Learning, Role Play, and Contemporary Issues Journal may complement experiential or community-engaged learning experiences.
For additional guidance, explore the following University of Toronto resources:
- Experiential Learning Hub: Course and Program Development Resources. Self-directed resources for designing experiential learning opportunities, including purposeful experiences and reflection.
- Centre for Community Partnerships: Faculty Resources. Practical guides for developing community-engaged learning courses, working with community partners, and incorporating reflection and reciprocal engagement.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are technologies that can support active learning by creating opportunities for students to interact with digital representations, environments, or simulations.
AR typically overlays digital information onto a physical environment, while VR creates an immersive digital environment. Depending on the learning outcomes, these technologies may help students explore complex systems, examine spatial relationships, practice skills, or experience situations that would be difficult to reproduce in a conventional classroom.
The educational value of AR and VR depends on how the technologies are integrated into a learning activity. Students should have opportunities to make observations, apply concepts, solve problems, discuss their experiences, or reflect on what they have learned.
Before incorporating AR or VR, consider the learning purpose, available equipment, technical support, accessibility, and potential physical or sensory barriers, including motion-related discomfort. Provide alternative ways to achieve the intended learning outcomes where necessary. Immersive technologies are not appropriate or necessary for every learning experience.
For guidance on selecting and integrating educational technologies, consult CTSI’s educational technology resources or your divisional teaching and learning support team.
Reflecting on Active Learning
Reflecting on active learning helps instructors understand how students engage with activities, what they are learning, and how different approaches support the intended learning outcomes. Reflection can inform decisions about which activities to retain, adapt, or reconsider in future teaching.
Consider drawing on different sources of information, including:
- Student learning: Review students’ responses, discussions, completed work, or assessment results to identify evidence of understanding, application, and areas requiring further support.
- Student feedback: Invite students to share which aspects of an activity supported their learning, what they found challenging, and what adjustments might be helpful. Brief reflections, Exit Tickets, or mid-course feedback can provide useful insights.
- Instructor observations: Reflect on participation, timing, group interactions, instructions, and how students responded to the activity. Consider recording observations shortly after a class while the experience is still fresh.
- Teaching team perspectives: Discuss observations with teaching assistants, co-instructors, or colleagues who helped facilitate or observe the activity.
As you review this information, consider whether the activity supported its intended purpose, what students learned, and which aspects you might retain, adapt, or explore further. Student perceptions and evidence of learning may offer different insights, so drawing on multiple sources can provide a more complete picture.
Active learning does not require every activity to work perfectly or produce the same results across teaching contexts. Small adjustments to prompts, instructions, timing, materials, or participation options can help instructors respond to students’ learning needs.
For more in-depth guidance, explore CTSI’s Gathering Formative Feedback with Mid-Course Evaluations, Reflecting on Your Teaching at U of T, and Active Learning Design Foundations (ALDF).
Support and Additional Resources
Instructors interested in incorporating active learning into their teaching can access professional learning opportunities, consultations, and practical resources through CTSI and other University of Toronto teaching and learning units.
U of T Teaching Support and Resources
- CTSI Consultations: Individual or group consultations to discuss active learning strategies, course design, facilitation, and other teaching and learning considerations.
- Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP): Professional development and resources for teaching assistants, including guidance on active learning and adapting teaching techniques.
- Student Response Systems: Information about classroom response technologies that can support polling, formative assessment, and student participation.
- Divisional Teaching and Learning Support: Local support for instructors seeking advice about teaching approaches, learning environments, and educational technologies.
External Resources
- Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T. D. (2024). Classroom Assessment Techniques: Formative Feedback Tools for College and University Teachers (3rd ed.). Wiley. A collection of classroom assessment techniques for gathering evidence of student learning and providing formative feedback. The 2nd edition (Angelo & Cross, 1993) is available through U of T Libraries.
- Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. Jossey-Bass. A practical collection of learning assessment techniques for gathering evidence of student learning, providing feedback, and supporting reflection and improvement.
- Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2020). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass. A practical handbook connecting student engagement, motivation, and active learning with techniques for use across disciplines.
- K. Patricia Cross Academy. A collection of evidence-informed teaching techniques, including instructional videos and practical guides for implementation.